Cranberries singer died from drowning while drunk, inquest hears

Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of Irish band The Cranberries, died in January by drowning due to alcohol...

Posted: Sep 6, 2018 1:48 PM

Updated: Sep 6, 2018 1:48 PM

Posted By: CNN Wire

Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of Irish band The Cranberries, died in January by drowning due to alcohol intoxication, an inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court heard Thursday, according to Britain's Press Association.

O'Riordan, who was 46 when she died, was in London for a short recording session, according to a statement from her publicist at the time.

Police officer Natalie Smart, who attended the scene, told the inquest that O'Riordan was found in the bath in her hotel room, PA said Thursday.

Five miniature bottles and a bottle of champagne were found in the room along with containers of prescription drugs with a number of tablets inside, according to PA.

Toxicology tests found O'Riordan had "therapeutic" amounts of medication in her blood, but more than four times the legal alcohol limit for driving.

The Cranberries rose to global fame in the mid-1990s with a string of hits, including "Linger," "Zombie" and "Dreams." The group, from Limerick, has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.

In 2007, O'Riordan launched a solo project with her album "Are you Listening?" before reuniting with the group in 2009. She also teamed up with The Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke and DJ Ole Koretsky to provide the vocals for the group D.A.R.K.

In 2017, The Cranberries released "Something Else," an acoustic album featuring some of the band's most popular hits, along with three new recordings.

But they canceled many dates on their 2017 Europe and North America tour, with the band citing O'Riordan's ongoing back problems as the cause.

In a statement in January, Irish President Michael D. Higgins said O'Riordan's death was "a big loss" to the Irish arts community.